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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. root — the cause
  7. rest — a break
  8. charge — a price
  9. root — of a plant
  10. swing — music
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. root — of a word
  17. charge — electricity
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — happy
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com